The arrest of Myanmar-based drug kingpin Thancintuang by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has exposed a vast transnational narcotics network operating across Northeast India and Bangladesh, uncovering an elaborate system of smuggling routes, hawala channels, interstate logistics, and financial handlers that sustained the illegal trade. Investigators said the syndicate functioned through a coordinated web of couriers, transporters, local operatives, and cross-border financial networks spanning Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Tripura, and Bangladesh.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has achieved a major breakthrough against transnational drug trafficking networks operating along the India-Myanmar border with the arrest of Myanmar-based kingpin Thancintuang from Delhi.
In a statement, the NCB said the arrest was made following extensive surveillance, intelligence development, coordinated interstate operations, and sustained follow-up investigations. Officials described Thancintuang as one of the most significant Myanmar-based narcotics suppliers apprehended in 2026.
According to investigators, the syndicate operated through an extensive network of local facilitators, transport coordinators, couriers, and financial handlers spread across Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Tripura, and border regions linked to Bangladesh. The investigation revealed that the trafficking network relied on multiple smuggling corridors connecting Myanmar with Northeast India and Bangladesh for the movement and distribution of methamphetamine and heroin.
As the investigation widened, the NCB identified a parallel financial infrastructure allegedly used to channel proceeds generated from narcotics trafficking. One of the key figures arrested was Lalrampari, accused of functioning as a major hawala operator for the syndicate. She was taken into custody on August 8, 2024, for allegedly managing illicit financial transfers connected to the drug trade.
Investigators said the probe uncovered suspected hawala transactions amounting to nearly ₹100 crore. The findings were subsequently shared with the Enforcement Directorate, which initiated proceedings to freeze properties and financial assets believed to have been acquired using proceeds from narcotics trafficking.
The investigation later led authorities to southern Assam, where Abu Saleh, also known as Saifuddin, was arrested in Cachar district on November 20, 2025. Officials identified him as a key Indian operative linked to Thancintuang’s network and accused him of coordinating the transportation and distribution of narcotic substances through the Assam corridor. Authorities said Saleh was also connected to multiple NDPS cases registered by the Mizoram Police and the state’s Excise and Narcotics Department.
In another breakthrough linked to the same network, the NCB arrested Jabrul from Karimganj district on December 3, 2025, in connection with a case handled by the agency’s Agartala Zone. Investigators said he was apprehended along with an additional narcotics consignment and allegedly played an active role in coordinating interstate trafficking operations through the Tripura-Assam route. He was also found linked to several NDPS cases registered by Tripura Police and the NCB.
The anti-drug agency said financial scrutiny of the accused persons led to the temporary freezing of multiple bank accounts that showed substantial suspicious transactions tied to drug trafficking proceeds. Officials stated that the NCB has intensified what it termed “360-degree financial investigations” aimed at dismantling the economic networks sustaining organised narcotics trafficking.
Authorities are currently tracing properties, bank accounts, and other financial assets under provisions of the NDPS Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in an effort to weaken the financial backbone of interstate and international drug syndicates.
The NCB also released enforcement figures highlighting the scale of narcotics operations in the Northeast. During 2025, the agency registered 48 NDPS cases in the region, arrested 116 alleged traffickers, and seized narcotic substances estimated to be worth ₹665 crore in the illegal market.
In 2026, the agency has so far registered 31 NDPS cases, leading to the arrest of 54 alleged traffickers and the seizure of substantial quantities of narcotic drugs during ongoing enforcement operations across the region.
